Peoria, IL (September 17, 2013)— How do you get people to bring their very best to their work and go above and beyond? The answer: you create a great workplace. Dr. Jennifer Robin, assistant professor of management and leadership at Bradley, teamed up again with her colleague Michael Burchell, a corporate vice president with the Great Place to Work Institute, to pen their new book “No Excuses: How You Can Turn Any Workplace Into A Great One.”

No Excuses breaks down managers’ excuses for failing to create a great workplace in three parts. This is not a book simply about great companies, but rather a practical guide for those who aspire to be counted among them. The book is a case study of ten organizations that have made it to the summit and are recognized as great workplaces. From The Coca Cola Companies to Mayo Clinic, to Whole Foods to Zappos, Robin and Burchell explore how top companies thrive in a highly competitive marketplace—an excuse-free zone that paves the way to greatness.

While many managers agree that creating a great workplace is inspiring and interesting, many come up with the excuse that their type of work environment does not lend itself to greatness. These managers say their company is too big, or too small; it has an introverted CEO, is too new in the market, etc… the reasons they proffer are many. But these excuses are what keep managers and their workplaces locked on its same trajectory—less successful and not as great as they could be.

The genesis for the book was the feedback from Robin and Burchell’s first book, The Great Workplace: How to Build it, How to Keep it and why it Matters, in which the most interesting feedback was the litany of excuses made by employees of struggling companies.

“No Excuses: How You Can Turn Any Workplace Into A Great One” will be released THIS WEEK.